Former MLS official: Orlando City focused on stadium, not David Beckham

Brett Lashbrook, now working in Orlando City's front office, reiterates new stadium is must

June 10, 2013|By Brendan Sonnone, Orlando Sentinel

Brett Lashbrook, who worked for Major League Soccer since 2007, began his new job with Orlando City Soccer Club on Monday.

His lone task: Get the franchise from the USL Pro league into MLS.

Before settling into his office, Lashbrook sat down with the Orlando Sentinel to discuss his role with Orlando City and how his background could help the Lions' expansion efforts.

Orlando Sentinel: What will your day-to-day role be with Orlando City?

Brett Lashbrook: "The sole focus is on the MLS project and everything that involves. A very important aspect is negotiating an expansion agreement and convincing the other owners of Major League Soccer that Orlando will be a great long-term partner.

"A key part of that discussion hinges on finalizing a stadium plan, very similar to what I was doing in Queens on the New York City II project [helping New York land a second MLS franchise, beginning in 2015].''

OS: What has Orlando City done right in making a push for entry into MLS? What does it need to do going forward?

BL: "MLS looks for three things when looking to expand to a market. The first is, you have to have a market that is clearly ready for professional soccer. The second is a stadium plan. The third part is making sure you have a strong ownership group, ideally locally based.

"You look at what [Orlando City has] done in the past 2 1/2 years, and it's nothing short of extremely impressive. They've created a very unique and authentic experience in a stadium [the Florida Citrus Bowl] that is subpar.

"The bottom line, straightforward answer is that MLS will not come without a stadium plan in place."

OS: David Beckham is looking at launching an MLS franchise in Miami. How does that impact Orlando?

BL: "I can't comment on his discussions with MLS or what he is pursuing or not pursuing. While it's easy to look over your shoulder to hear what everyone is doing down in Miami and Atlanta and other cities, I've been clear with the ownership group that I want to focus on ourselves and put the best plan we can together."

OS: Could the MLS place franchises in Orlando and Miami?

BL: "It's a question for MLS. Our goal is to get in the league. Who else wants to join us is a good problem to have and not our focus. MLS and all leagues are based on rivalries, so we'd love to have Miami at some point. We just want to be the first one there."

OS: How can your connections help with Orlando City's MLS efforts?

BL: "It clearly helps to know the process, to know the individuals involved and know the best practices, and some of the practices that haven't worked in other markets. It's not one special sauce, not one special answer. It's having a good, solid base of what's happened in the past and what the trajectory of the league is."

OS: Make the case to the taxpayer that public money should be used to build a soccer-specific stadium?

BL: "When you talk about tangible answers, it's the construction of the facility in an area that needs jobs. [The city has purchased land in Parramore in hopes of putting a stadium there.] It's both part-time jobs, full-time jobs and all the economic activity that comes with these types of facilities.

"You look at the other facilities in MLS, it's not just MLS matches and events that are taking place there. It's international soccer games coming, other types of events that happen in these types of stadiums.

"When you talk about the intangible aspects of it, there's something special about sport teams, and I know there's some disagreement about it. When you look around the league and see what soccer means in some of these communities, there's a real intangible benefit of having soccer and a Major League Soccer team in this community."

OS: What about the two-phase stadium building plan that Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer supports?

BL: "Without getting into the details, we feel very confident that we can put together a plan that will meet all the MLS requirements and beyond.

"We're making sure we don't just find a solution that works for Year One, but also works long term."